New Canaan Garden Club wins approval to fund invasive-removal and meadow restoration at Erwin Park

The New Canaan Garden Club briefed the Parks and Recreation Commission on a multiyear plan to remove invasive plants and restore a native meadow and mushroom-maze garden at Erwin Park. Tori Fraser, speaking for the Garden Club, said the group is reviving the Friends of Erwin Park fundraising arm and will use QR codes and temporary signage to raise money and educate visitors.

Fraser described widespread infestations of mugwort, Japanese knotweed and other invasives that have rendered areas of the park “completely unusable,” and said the club plans phased removal, follow-up maintenance, and replanting with native perennials, shrubs and trees. She said the club has engaged a landscape firm (Titan) to design the meadow restoration and will begin limited planting in May.

The club asked for permission to place informational signage at the park and to have Garden Club volunteers staff tables on spring weekends for membership and donation outreach. Fraser said the club will fund the mushroom-maze garden work from its own funds and is also seeking donations for broader removal work.

A motion to permit the Garden Club to conduct membership drives, install signage subject to staff review, and begin planting and meadow restoration passed on a voice vote. The motion carried after a roll call; the transcript did not provide a final tally on the record. The commission asked that specific signage designs be returned for approval and that the group coordinate timing with parks staff given the multiyear nature of the removal work.

Fraser said eradication of entrenched invasives is a multiyear effort and the club will stage work area by area depending on fundraising progress. She and other members noted the project will involve educational outreach and stewardship opportunities for volunteers.